While the last decade has shown an 86% annual decline in the number of US horses sold for slaughter, the Stanley Brothers won’t quit, surreptitiously holding onto their status as one of the largest remaining shippers of the US horse slaughter industry. In 2024 alone, the Stanley Brothers shipped 90 shipments (approximately 3,600 horses and donkeys) valued at roughly $1.9 million to Mexico for slaughter.
The Stanley Brothers’ family business is one of the largest and most notorious horse slaughter enterprises in the country, operating a main lot in Bastrop, Louisiana. They’ve strategically mapped out a network of auctions across the United States, ensuring a steady supply of equines. Then they’ve pinpointed collecting stations in multiple states, enabling the quick and dirty distribution of horses to slaughter.
The Stanleys are also known for their extensive and horrifying list of violations. Time and again, the family has shown us that animal or human lives hold no place in their conscience. Some of their many past offenses include:
- Slitting an innocent dog’s throat and posting a video of its horrifying struggle on social media
- Shipping completely blind horses and horses with horrific open wounds to slaughter and moving hundreds of horses across state lines without the required paperwork
- Greg, Mitch, and Michael Stanley confronted and attacked an animal activist. Michael hit a 65-year-old man in the face with a wooden board, inflicting substantial injuries that required reconstructive surgery to repair the victim’s fractured nose.
- And that’s just a few of the many examples of aggression…
Animals’ Angels has tracked the Stanley Brothers for years, and we will continue to follow them, no matter where or how they conduct their dirty business. This includes their deceptive online horse broker programs. These websites mislead potential buyers with false urgency, claiming that any horse not purchased by a set “deadline” will be shipped to slaughter. In reality, many of the horses listed are severely emaciated, injured, or sick animals that likely wouldn’t even pass a border inspection.
Before the rise of these broker programs, such “reject” horses had little to no value to kill buyers. Ironically, in the online market, these very animals — crippled, sick, or starved — are now some of the most “valuable” because they evoke sympathy and drive last-minute sales. When it comes to animal exploitation, the Stanley Brothers leave no dollar on the table.
As part of our ongoing efforts to monitor the Stanley Brothers’ operations and their slaughter horse supply chain, Animals’ Angels investigators recently returned to the monthly horse auction in Attala, Alabama. We’ve uncovered in the past that this notorious auction, operated by the Stanley Brothers, also serves as a collecting station for slaughter-bound horses. What we witnessed was deeply troubling.
The two-day auction draws horse traders from across the country, including known kill buyers such as J. Fabrizius of Colorado and J. Austin of Virginia. Upon arrival, investigators moved to the rear of the premises, where they discovered approximately 15 horses in a nearby pasture. Several of the horses were in poor condition, and none had sales tags, which is a clear sign they were likely being held for slaughter.
In the pen area, the scene worsened. Investigators found a sorrel gelding with a profusely bleeding hind leg injury and a severely lame paint horse unable to bear weight. In another pen, a group of 11 donkeys, 3 jacks and 8 jennies, were suffering from grossly overgrown hooves, some curling upwards due to neglect. Several could barely walk and were forced to lie down awkwardly in an attempt to relieve their pain.
Appalled by the animals’ condition, our investigators reported our observations to the local police, urgently requesting that an officer come to the sale. But almost immediately after hanging up with the police, investigators witnessed a flurry of activity around the pens: auction staff and traders moved quickly, appearing to look for someone. Our team moved back, observing from a distance while we waited for the police. But the police never came.
In a move that felt far from accidental, the spike in commotion stopped our team from recording what came next – all the donkeys and the injured horses were moved to the auction ring and quickly sold to the highest bidder. A euphoric auctioneer proclaimed that all the jennies were "bred" — a disturbing claim given their poor health. The jennies sold for $310–$325 each, the jacks for $120, and the lame Paint horse for just $175.
This event is yet another disturbing example of systemic failure, from auction management enabling the sale of suffering animals, to owners who neglect them, and law enforcement that appears unwilling to act. Instead of dispatching an officer to investigate, it seems that the Attala Police Department may have alerted the auction about the complaint, prompting a rush to guard the pen area and quickly push the injured animals through the sale before further scrutiny.
Animals’ Angels has requested call logs and incident reports from that day, and we will file a formal complaint if evidence confirms misconduct.
Documenting incidents like this is critical, not just to expose cruelty, but to hold all parties accountable: the auction houses that allow it, the individuals who cause it, and the law enforcement agencies that ignore it. Only through persistent exposure and public pressure can we bring about real change.
Animals’ Angels will not be letting up. We remain committed to shining a light on these abuses until every animal is treated with the dignity and care they deserve.